EW
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimi reflect on Hocus Pocus 25 years later
MAUREEN LEE LENKER
October 21, 2018
Mister D: I don’t know what is wrong with me but for a decade I just lost my voice, stopped being irreverant, and just seemed to go through the motions on everything. I’ll try to hold back on here.
This special was so cheesy, only a mouse could have loved it, Or maybe it was just geared to a younger audience which seems more likely. And no, the performance by those 3 girls was not “Iconic” Cute, yes, but Iconic is reserved and will remain the version by Bette Midler. I wish these hacky writers would leave certain words alone that used to mean something special. No, not every female singer and movie star is a diva, If you’re popular on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, you’re not a diva. So quit watering down the words.
Why Bette Midler would subjugate herself to this dreck, I don’t know, but I have my theories and one is right. I’ve gotten to know this business pretty well, and it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. Anyway, i’m going to say it was for the children. I hope that all those who were looking forward to it enjoyed it
Sisters! Hocus Pocus is celebrating its 25th anniversary and the stars of the beloved Halloween classic gathered to fly once more in Freeform’s Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Halloween Bash, which premiered on Saturday, Oct. 20 on the network.
The special, which was partly filmed live earlier this month at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, reunited much of the original cast, including the Sanderson Sisters — Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimi. For Midler, the project was automatic yes — she said in the special, “I read the script of Hocus Pocus and I was very intrigued by it because it was an opportunity to do things that I really loved to do, which is play physical comedy and be more than a little broad.”
While Parker noted that she still can’t quite believe how dark the storyline was for a Disney film. “I guess what I remember most is how awful we were as characters,” she said. “I was surprised that the goal was to get a child and basically destroy them, but because it was done in a really heightened, ridiculous way, it was a lot of fun.”
The witchy trio reflected on their time making the series throughout the special, including why getting to fly was their favorite part.
Midler called flying, “one of the greatest joys I’ve ever experienced as an actor,” while Parker took it one step further, saying, “I’m going to go out on a
“We would just be hanging up there sometimes for hours until they would swoop us and the faster the better, I absolutely loved it,” Najimi remembered, while Parker joked the harnesses were like “relaxing into a bucket with legs.” Midler noted the experience was akin to executing complicated choreography. She said, “It’s joyful, it’s also a dance, and there’s a lot of trying to be graceful while not being sure you weren’t going to be turned upside down.”
For the trio and the entire team, they mostly can’t believe the staying power of the film. Particularly because when Hocus Pocus debuted in 1993, it was a box office disappointment and failed to resonate with critics. However, with a little bit of magic, the film has now become the It’s a Wonderful Life (which was also an initial box office failure) of Halloween — playing in repeat showings on Freeform throughout the month of October.
“For a moment in time, I was heartbroken and disappointed,” director Kenny Ortega told EW earlier this month. “People have just found it and found the treasure that is there with Kathy and Bette and Sarah; their wonderful, incredible chemistry and good humor. It’s just a fun movie that just takes you away and there’s just magic there.”
He calls the anniversary special and the film’s 25-year momentum toward becoming a Halloween classic “a dream come true.”
In the special, the trio echoed similar thoughts. “I don’t think any of us who were making it at the time thought Hocus Pocus would have such a long life,” Parker said. “People tell me all the time they grew up watching it, and that they still watch it. I think it’s wonderful.”
“It was 25 years ago,” marveled Najimi. “For it to embraced so wholly, and so rabidly, it’s flattering and it’s an honor.”
The special aired on Freeform on Oct.
I thought this was cool. Brandon Hall took some stills of
Bette’s early make-up tests during pre-production which to me was interesting. I would have rather seen more stuff like this
I enjoyed the interviews and behind the scenes stuff but the rest of it was definitely geared towards the younger crowd. Still don’t understand why we can’t get a sequel but it seems that ship has sailed.
Bette Midler had negative comments about this film after it flopped. She said that the finished product was not at all what she had expected and that it had been edited into a movie that to her was barely recognizable. Sarah Jessica Parker was the first to mention that many many many of the scenes the women shot were left on the cutting room floor. Initially, rumor has it, the movie was intended to be a film for adults…in the tradition of “WITCHES OF EASTWICK.”
I’m just not fond of packaged specials like that. I would have just preferred a sit down where they talked about the movie and you know there are tons more of the behind the scenes stuff and of course more Midler lol
Agreed, the whole thing seemed rather cheesey and geared to the very young – but do the very young even have an interest in this? It seems a mistake not to focus on the movie itself and the actor interviews and the behind the scenes snippets. Costume contests, singers who have nothing to do with it and announcers who are over the top with enthusiasm? Just what audience was this aimed at?
It seemed to be aiming for the younger generations that grew up on it
If they were 10 when it came out they would be 25 now. This seemed geared for tweens and young teens to me, not people in their twenties.
It did seem geared to tweens, but the movie keeps gaining in popularity with each new generation. My 5-year-old niece and all of her friends now love it, so I’m not surprised they went in that direction
Bette Midler had negative comments about this film after it flopped. She said that the finished product was not at all what she had expected and that it had been edited into a movie that to her was barely recognizable. Sarah Jessica Parker was the first to mention that many many many of the scenes the women shot were left on the cutting room floor. Initially, rumor has it, the movie was intended to be a film for adults…in the tradition of “WITCHES OF EASTWICK.”
I remember reading that too, but she has a habit of changing her mind on things toi